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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 116 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: tear · pass · bound · bat · kick · lash · stick · perch

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — in football
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kick — a thrill

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