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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — to rip

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