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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bass — low music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — to rip
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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