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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — to push
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. land — to come down
  19. deal — to handle
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wake — a trail

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