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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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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — what's left
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pop — music
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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