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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 124 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bound — certain
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. scale — in music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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