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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cue — a signal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cue — for pool
  20. net — for catching
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — music
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rock — to move gently

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