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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cue — a signal
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — to rip
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — in a road
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. net — in sport
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bank — for money
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — of a river
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — a hint

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