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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 124 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. track — a path
  5. club — for golf
  6. bound — certain
  7. track — a song
  8. march — music
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — to keep track
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. club — a group
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mouse — for a computer

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