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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. capital — money
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. capital — a city

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