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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — to come from
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitch — completely
  17. can — a tin
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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