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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ball — a great time
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stem — to come from
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ball — a dance
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — a line
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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