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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. season — in sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. band — a music group
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wax — to grow
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. season — of the year
  24. bark — of a tree

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