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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — for sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. plane — a tool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. field — farmland
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. last — to go on
  16. perch — the fish
  17. last — final
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — a subject
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fan — a supporter

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