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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — of water
  6. file — a document
  7. spring — the season
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. face — to point toward
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. face — to confront
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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