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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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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: present · kick · mark · cap · wave · land · tear · mate

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. land — to come down
  3. kick — in football
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. land — a country
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. land — ground
  16. present — the time now
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. present — there

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