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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — to rip
  4. last — final
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. last — finally
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. racket — a loud noise

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