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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. prune — the fruit

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