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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — rain
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to click
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. sharp — clever

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