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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bore — to drill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. degree — from a university
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. degree — an amount
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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