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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. firm — a company
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — the time now
  18. cell — in biology
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — there
  23. wax — to grow
  24. firm — decided

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