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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tear — from crying
  7. last — finally
  8. cap — of ice
  9. shower — rain
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ground — the earth
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ground — a position
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rock — music
  24. last — final

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