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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: clip · lean · lash · bat · jam · tear · bay · deal

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tear — to rip
  6. clip — a video
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. clip — to cut
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lean — thin
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lash — an eyelash

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