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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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468
Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pop — soda
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ball — a great time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pop — music
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ball — a dance

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