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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · temple · wind · pass · lash · tear

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pass — a permit

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