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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pound — a weight
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. last — finally
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. last — final
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — to go on
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. row — a line
  24. rock — music

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