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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. snap — to click
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. perch — the fish
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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