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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 120 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — a country
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — ground
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. land — to come down
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — to lash out

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