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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — for catching
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. land — a country
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a music group
  16. net — after costs
  17. chest — of your body
  18. land — to come down
  19. mug — a face
  20. net — in sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — to grow
  24. band — a ring

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