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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: wound · lash · saw · season · dip · tear · track · row

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — a song
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. track — a path
  23. row — a line
  24. tear — from crying

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