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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for golf
  12. can — a tin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — a group
  21. can — to be able to
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pound — for dogs
  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