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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — to recline
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bound — certain
  17. last — finally
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chest — a box

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