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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — a break
  10. face — to confront
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spring — the season
  13. pit — in a race
  14. face — part of the head
  15. capital — a city
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. capital — money
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — to grow

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