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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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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: rush · lie · pitcher · tear · rash · dip · kick · spring

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lie — to recline
  5. spring — of water
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — a series
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kick — in football
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — hurry
  24. dip — a sauce

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