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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. can — a tin
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kid — child
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — a series
  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