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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. current — of water
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wax — to grow
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — happening now
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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