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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. degree — an amount
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — in sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — from a university
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tear — to rip
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — of the year
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. season — to add flavour

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