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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. craft — boats
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — finally

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