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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fall — the season
  13. snap — to click
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. chest — a box
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lash — to lash out

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