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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cell — a phone
  11. spell — letters
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — magic
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. content — happy

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