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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — the month
  7. land — to come down
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. march — music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cue — for pool
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. lash — an eyelash

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