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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · kick · rash · wax · mine · fall · pitcher · root

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lean — thin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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