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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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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: club · deal · leaves · tear · jam · fan · bat · lash

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. club — a group
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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