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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. tube — a container
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lie — to recline
  7. court — for sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — of a king
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — of law
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tube — in a tire
  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