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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. net — in sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. press — to push
  10. kick — in football
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lash — to lash out

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