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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · stand · mate · rest · sharp · land · wake · lash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — a break
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. land — ground
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — a country
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wake — a trail

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