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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — of water
  11. cold — an illness
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. season — in sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cold — not warm

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