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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — a price
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — in control
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lean — thin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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