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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. race — a contest
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. land — to come down
  10. race — the arms race
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — ground
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. land — a country
  23. race — humankind
  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