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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. kick — in football
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mug — a cup
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mug — a face
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rule — government
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kick — with a leg

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