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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 water is too ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cold — an illness
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. season — in sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a ring
  18. can — to be able to
  19. band — a music group
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. season — of the year

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