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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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468
Word bank
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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chest — a box
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — the time now
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. present — there
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — a gift
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mine — an explosive

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