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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: snap · ball · lash · mug · fall · safe · fork · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mug — a face
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fork — in a road
  19. snap — to click
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ball — a round shape

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