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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · fork · wax · bore · lash · wind · cell · season

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fork — in a road
  6. season — of the year
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cell — in biology
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wax — to grow
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bore — to drill

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