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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mug — a face
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rash — a series
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lash — an eyelash

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