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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fine — all right
  5. plane — a tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. firm — a company
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cold — the Cold War

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