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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. charge — a price
  12. pop — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  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