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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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468
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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — to drill
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. scale — in music
  16. fall — the season
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bore — to tire
  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