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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: land · lash · saw · toast · tear · chest · drill · lie

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chest — a box
  4. lie — to recline
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. drill — a practice
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — ground
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — army training
  23. tear — to rip
  24. toast — 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