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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hand — in cards
  3. land — ground
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — in control
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hand — help
  16. charge — a price
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — a country
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rock — music

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