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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. present — a gift
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a hat
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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