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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.

Make a worksheet

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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. saw — the tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — to recline
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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