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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — magic
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — letters
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — low music
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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