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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rash — a series
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — to grow
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wax — for sculpting

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