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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — in sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. net — for catching
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — to confront
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to point toward
  19. squash — the sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fall — to drop
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — after costs

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