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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wax — to grow
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — a match
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. face — part of the head
  7. craft — boats
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — to point toward
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cue — a hint
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to confront
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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