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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. club — for dancing
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. club — for golf
  18. land — a country
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tear — to rip
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. land — ground
  24. club — a group

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