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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — in a race
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fall — the season
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fall — to drop
  13. can — a tin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — a division
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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