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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. object — an aim
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. object — to protest
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. object — a thing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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