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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. net — for catching
  19. face — part of the head
  20. net — after costs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. shower — rain
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. face — to point toward

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