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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. clip — to cut
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. clip — a video
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a dance
  16. tube — a container
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. ball — a round shape

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