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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. land — a country
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kid — child
  16. land — to come down
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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