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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. object — to protest
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — to tire
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — a break
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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