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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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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: deal · kid · wax · fork · bound · cabinet · rule · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rule — government
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kid — child
  7. bound — tied together
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rule — a law
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bound — certain

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