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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. dip — to sink
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spell — a short time
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spell — letters
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spell — magic
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mug — a face
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — a cup

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