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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. swing — to play on
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. swing — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cold — an illness
  13. firm — decided
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. firm — a company
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. firm — steady
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. key — for a lock
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. key — in music

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