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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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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: lash · bark · rule · wax · lean · plane · fine · pop

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rule — government
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pop — music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rule — a law
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pop — soda
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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