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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — the season
  18. file — a document
  19. kid — child
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wax — to grow
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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