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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lie — to recline
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — to grow
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. march — music
  12. scale — in music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — to tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. swing — to play on
  24. net — after costs

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