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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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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. clip — a video
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  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