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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — a division
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chest — of your body
  10. content — happy
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chest — a box
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — boats
  19. deal — to handle
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. content — the amount

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