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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — a series
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — hasty

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