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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — a list
  3. toast — bread
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. current — electric
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spell — letters
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. drill — a practice
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. drill — army training
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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