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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. content — happy
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — rain
  20. swing — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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