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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · lash · mate · rock · chest · bat · fan · mine

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — a box
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lash — an eyelash

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