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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — help
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — certain
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bound — obliged
  24. racket — for tennis

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