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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: jam · drill · lash · tear · lean · fork · arm · cold

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. drill — army training
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cold — an illness
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. tear — to rip
  24. drill — a practice

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