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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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468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fall — the season
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a face
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kid — child
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — to drop
  24. temple — side of the head

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