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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — not warm
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cold — an illness
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — a trainer

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