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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rule — a law
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rule — government
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — to rip
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tube — a container
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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