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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. spell — letters
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. trunk — of a tree

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