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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.

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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: lash · bound · firm · spring · chest · clip · pound · wound

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. chest — a box
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — the season
  6. bound — certain
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. firm — a company
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. spring — of water
  15. firm — decided
  16. bound — obliged
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pound — a weight
  20. clip — a video
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. firm — steady
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — tied together

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