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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. row — a line
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. sharp — clever
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chest — a box
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. plane — a tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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