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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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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: lash · kick · fine · dip · cold · tear · mug · leaves

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cold — an illness
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mug — a face
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fine — high quality
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mug — a cup
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fine — all right
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fine — a penalty

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