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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a partner
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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