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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lie — to recline
  10. row — to paddle
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. squash — the sport
  17. row — a line
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — help
  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