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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: wind · arm · pitcher · lash · leaves · kid · track · wax

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wax — to grow

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