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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: foot · tear · bulb · dip · rest · bat · lash · band

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. band — a ring
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rest — what's left
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a music group
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rest — a break
  11. foot — a measure
  12. tear — from crying
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bulb — for light
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — for baseball

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