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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chest — a box
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bark — of a tree

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