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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. key — in music
  16. foot — a measure
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. foot — the bottom

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