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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pop — soda
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pop — music
  23. fall — the season
  24. bass — the instrument

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