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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: stick · rest · toast · object · lash · tear · fork · rule

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. object — a thing
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rest — a break
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rest — what's left
  9. toast — bread
  10. object — to protest
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — an aim
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rule — to rule out

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