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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a match
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lash — to lash out

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