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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.

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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: chest · calf · drill · lash · snap · straw · wax · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. drill — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rest — a break
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chest — of your body
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — army training
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — a box

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