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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rock — a stone
  5. march — music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — a position
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rock — music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — the month

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