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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. roll — a list
  13. lean — thin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. drill — a practice
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — to bend
  22. drill — army training
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. craft — a handicraft

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