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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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468
Word bank
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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mate — a friend
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. patient — a sick person

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