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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. current — happening now
  5. kid — child
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kid — to tease
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — electric
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — for spectators

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