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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. content — happy
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rest — a break
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — the amount
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bound — obliged
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bound — tied together

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