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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bowl — a dish

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