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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — letters
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — magic
  10. tear — to rip
  11. last — finally
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mug — a face
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — to go on
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. last — final
  24. wave — with your hand

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