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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — to grow
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  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