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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — to push
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. date — the fruit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — letters
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lie — an untruth

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