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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chair — a leader
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kick — in football
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stem — to come from
  19. drill — army training
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cold — not warm
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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