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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. degree — an amount
  24. tear — from crying

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