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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rule — government
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ball — a great time
  11. chest — a box
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. press — to push
  21. rule — a law
  22. kick — in football
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rule — to rule 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