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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 116 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: rest · tear · wind · drill · spell · fan · lash · pound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — a short time
  4. drill — the tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rest — a break

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