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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — a group
  3. rash — a series
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cap — a hat
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. club — for dancing
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. club — for golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — employees
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cap — of ice

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