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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 120 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: sharp · wound · court · tear · bank · snap · foot · lash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — for sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tear — from crying
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bank — of a river
  9. court — of a king
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. court — of law
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. snap — to click
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bank — for money
  24. foot — part of the body

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