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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.

Make a worksheet

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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — ground
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. can — to be able to
  9. tear — from crying
  10. land — to come down
  11. rock — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — a country
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tear — to rip
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — a line
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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