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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 116 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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. hand — help
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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