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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — a company
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. firm — steady
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — in sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — boats
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. craft — a skill
  15. firm — decided
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — a line
  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