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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. drill — army training
  13. plane — a tool
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. tear — to rip
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. drill — a practice
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lean — thin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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