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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pop — soda
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pop — to visit
  7. firm — steady
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pop — music
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — a company
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tear — to rip
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. firm — decided
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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