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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spring — of water
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — the season
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pitch — completely
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lash — to lash out

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