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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — in control
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bank — for money
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. charge — a price
  10. object — an aim
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — a thing
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — to rip
  24. march — the month

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