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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — for sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stock — shares
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rock — music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. court — of law
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stock — goods

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