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

Word bank: tear · lash · hand · staff · rock · spell

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. staff — employees
  3. rock — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rock — a stone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — help
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — part of the body

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