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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stock — goods
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. swing — music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — shares
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — for digging
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — clever

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