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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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. plane — a tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. row — to paddle
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. row — a line
  9. present — a gift
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tear — to rip
  13. prune — to trim
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. present — the time now
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. prune — to trim
  23. present — there
  24. calf — of the leg

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