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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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468
Word bank
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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pound — a weight
  17. file — a tool
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. saw — the tool

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