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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. scale — in music
  14. kid — child
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lean — to bend
  19. date — the fruit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lean — thin
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bark — of a tree

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