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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: net · perch · band · tear · lash · ground · cue · hide

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — in sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — after costs
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a music group
  16. cue — a hint
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. net — for catching
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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