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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. key — in music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tube — a container
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mug — to rob
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tube — the underground

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