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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. suit — clothes
  21. file — a document
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. file — a tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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