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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lean — thin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rock — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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