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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spring — of water
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wax — to grow
  11. snap — to click
  12. rock — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — a stone

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