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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. craft — boats
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. shower — rain
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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