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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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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: wake · tear · mug · kick · mate · face · patient · wound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — a face
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. face — to confront

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