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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — music
  17. current — happening now
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — soda
  24. tear — to rip

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