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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kid — child
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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