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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: wound · lash · mug · season · pop · rash · land · cold

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mug — a cup
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — to come down
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rash — a series
  18. mug — a face
  19. pop — soda
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lash — to lash out

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