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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. tear — to rip
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — letters
  8. stand — to bear
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — a break
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spring — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — the season
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fall — the season

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