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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a music group
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pass — a permit
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tear — from crying

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