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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. land — a country
  2. mug — a face
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. land — ground
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — there
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — to come down
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  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