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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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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. field — a subject
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — for sport
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. drill — army training
  15. field — farmland
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — happy
  24. wind — moving air

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