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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bore — to drill
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. current — happening now
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. game — a match
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. club — a group
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. current — of water

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