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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to bend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fall — the season
  20. club — for golf
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tear — to rip
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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