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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. spring — a coil
  3. staff — employees
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — the season
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lie — to recline

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