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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. court — for sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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