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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: tear · lash · nail · toast · fall · track · cell · swing

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. track — a path
  11. swing — music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. track — a song
  18. swing — to play on
  19. toast — bread
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — the season
  23. cell — in biology
  24. swing — in golf

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