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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. file — a document
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. file — a tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stand — to bear
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mate — a friend
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — a practice
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. drill — army training

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