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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. firm — decided

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