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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. drill — the tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. drill — army training
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pound — a weight
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rush — a thrill

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