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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. press — to push
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mate — a partner
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rash — a series

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