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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tear — to rip
  8. club — a group
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. club — for golf
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. tear — from crying
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. tear — from crying

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