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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chip — to eat
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — the amount
  24. pound — for dogs

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