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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — a gift
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. present — there
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. sharp — clever
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. toast — bread
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. present — the time now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. trunk — of a car

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