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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. press — to push
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wax — to grow
  7. face — to point toward
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. charge — in control
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. face — to confront
  16. game — a match
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — to handle
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. press — newspapers

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