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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lash — an eyelash

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