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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: bass · bay · kid · bound · squash · tear · pit · lash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kid — child
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bass — low music
  15. bound — certain
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — in a race

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