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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — there
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. branch — a division
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. present — the time now
  24. court — of law

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