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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. field — a subject
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a line
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fork — to eat with

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