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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: dip · lean · key · tear · lash · fall · rash · coach

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — hasty
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lean — thin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rash — a series
  22. lean — to bend
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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