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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spell — magic
  3. current — happening now
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lean — thin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spell — letters
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. current — of water
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lean — to bend
  19. kid — to tease
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. current — electric
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kid — child

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