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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bank — for money

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