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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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468
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: stem · present · lash · pop · wound · wave · bear · rash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — a series
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — there
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. present — a gift
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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