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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. firm — decided
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a line of people
  8. firm — steady
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. file — a tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. firm — a company
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bank — of a river
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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