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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.

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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wax — to grow
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rash — hasty
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — a subject
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rash — a series
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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