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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wind — moving air
  9. face — to confront
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fall — the season
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. can — a tin
  24. wax — for sculpting

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