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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mate — a partner
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — help
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kick — in football
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kick — with a leg

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