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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cell — in biology
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cell — a phone
  24. drill — army training

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