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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: face · pit · mark · straw · squash · wound · wax · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pit — a hole
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mark — a grade
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wax — to grow
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pit — in a race
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lash — an eyelash

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