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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: wind · tear · track · season · lash · saw · lean · racket

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — in sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. tear — to rip
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. season — of the year
  13. lean — to bend
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. track — a path
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lean — to rest against

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