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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — goods
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stock — shares
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — a container
  21. court — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stock — a soup base

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