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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. staff — employees
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. deal — to handle
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — a trail
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — a video
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tube — in a tire

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