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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. club — for dancing
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — a division
  12. club — for golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. club — a group

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