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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. firm — a company
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pop — soda
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. swing — to play on
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. swing — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — to grow
  21. firm — decided
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — in the ear

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