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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — to protest
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. last — finally
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. object — an aim
  16. degree — from a university
  17. object — a thing
  18. degree — temperature
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. last — final
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lash — an eyelash

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