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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bound — obliged
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bound — certain
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — an illness
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cold — not warm
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — to lash out

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