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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.

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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: lie · lean · firm · kick · wax · bat · wound · racket

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lie — to recline
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. firm — a company
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lean — thin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kick — in football
  22. firm — decided
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bat — in an idiom

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