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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · squash · tear · drill · stand · sharp · lash · leaves

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — a practice
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tear — to rip
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wound — an injury

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