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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — to push
  12. kid — to tease
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wake — a trail
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. snap — to click
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kid — child
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — before a funeral

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