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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bear — the animal
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — the fish

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