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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lie — to recline
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — a box
  24. bank — for money

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