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

Word bank: saw · mate · board · lash · cell · mouse · ground · tear

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. board — to get on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — crushed
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a committee
  21. tear — to rip
  22. ground — a position
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mouse — for a computer

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