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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cue — for pool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mug — a cup
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mug — to rob
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — a face
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bound — certain

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