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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — happening now
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — of water
  9. firm — steady
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. season — of the year
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — electric

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