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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · squash · lie · patient · lash · pound · mate · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pound — a weight
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fine — all right
  11. mate — to breed
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lie — to recline
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com