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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bound — certain
  14. wax — to grow
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. row — a quarrel

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