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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. swing — in golf
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — a box
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — rain

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