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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. shower — rain
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. object — an aim
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — farmland
  16. object — to protest
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. field — a subject
  19. object — a thing
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — for sport

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