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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fine — all right
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rash — a series
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kick — in football

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