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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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