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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pop — soda
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pop — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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