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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — humankind
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mine — belonging to me

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