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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — there
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cap — a lid
  19. present — a gift
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. present — the time now

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