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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. row — to paddle
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. toast — bread
  11. object — a thing
  12. fall — the season
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wax — to grow
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. scale — in music
  23. fall — to drop
  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