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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. rash — hasty
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rash — a series
  7. mate — to breed
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kick — a thrill

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