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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. present — the time now
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — child
  14. present — there
  15. lean — thin
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ball — a great time
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ball — a dance

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