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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hand — help
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rash — a series
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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