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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — of the year
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — to grow
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. patient — a sick person

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