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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mate — to breed
  5. key — in music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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