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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fork — in a road
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hand — help
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. squash — to crush
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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