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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. court — of a king
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. swing — music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rash — a series
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — of law
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wake — a trail

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