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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. scale — in music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. club — a group
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. club — for dancing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cell — in biology
  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