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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: row · pop · bulb · lash · content · firm · tear · mug

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pop — music
  3. firm — steady
  4. content — happy
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mug — a cup
  12. row — to paddle
  13. firm — a company
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — decided
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — soda
  21. mug — to rob
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. mug — a face

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