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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. file — a tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — the sport
  14. file — a document
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. net — in sport

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