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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rule — a law
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — government
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. roll — a list
  24. wax — for sculpting

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