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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: racket · hide · mate · lash · tear · rest · cell · bowl

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — a friend
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — a partner
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rest — a break

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