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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — of the year
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pop — soda
  14. season — in sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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