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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. charge — in control
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. charge — a price
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rash — a series
  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