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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. firm — decided
  3. cue — a signal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chest — a box
  8. firm — a company
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. swing — music
  16. firm — steady
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cue — for pool

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