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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — thin
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — low music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ruler — for measuring

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