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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. row — to paddle
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wax — to grow
  15. staff — employees
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. firm — decided
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — soda
  24. firm — a company

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