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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. present — there
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pit — in a race
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — a gift
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wax — to grow

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