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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — decided
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — to rip
  14. firm — steady
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. firm — a company
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. date — on the calendar

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