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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — the time now
  12. chest — a box
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. present — there
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. present — a gift
  24. racket — a loud noise

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