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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tear — from crying
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — a short time
  19. march — music
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spell — letters

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