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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: straw · bay · toast · lash · row · key · tear · date

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — in music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. row — a line
  23. date — the fruit
  24. straw — a straw man

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