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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. deal — to handle
  15. plane — a tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. perch — the fish
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. deal — an agreement

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