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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 120 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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — a song
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. track — a path
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tear — from crying
  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