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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 124 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bark — to shout
  8. face — to point toward
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. last — final
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. face — to confront
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bound — certain
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bound — obliged

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