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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — a container
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. press — a publisher
  12. roll — a list
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — to push
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cold — the Cold War

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