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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. firm — steady
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. staff — employees
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. staff — employees
  9. wax — to grow
  10. snap — to click
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — decided
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. firm — a company
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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