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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: racket · tear · bore · track · fall · lash · band · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. track — a song
  4. tear — to rip
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a music group
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — to drill

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