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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — the tool
  8. kid — child
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a music group
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tear — from crying
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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