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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. current — electric
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bound — obliged
  11. current — happening now
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. current — of water
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — to crush

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