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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.

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: calf · wax · bark · kid · pitcher · rash · plane · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rash — hasty

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