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

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. fine — all right
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — final
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. squash — the sport
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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