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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 120 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pop — music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bank — for money
  17. chest — a box
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — to visit
  23. kick — in football
  24. wax — in the ear

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