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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. track — a path
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — a stick
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — a cup
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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