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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rock — music
  5. craft — boats
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bat — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rock — to move gently

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