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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kick — in football
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — child
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. last — finally

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