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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: lash · perch · tear · nail · stick · bowl · last · kid

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — child
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — finally
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — to go on
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. perch — for a bird

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