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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. snap — to click
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fine — all right
  13. march — music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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