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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — to go on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rest — a break
  8. last — final
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. last — finally
  24. wax — to grow

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