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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fall — the season
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tear — to rip
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bass — low 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