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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. date — the fruit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rule — government
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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