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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.

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: bat · pound · pitcher · lash · chair · object · hand · wax

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. object — an aim
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hand — help
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. object — a thing
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wax — to grow
  24. object — to protest

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