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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 116 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: wax · ball · bank · kick · rule · face · lash · chair

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — part of the head
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rule — government
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. face — to confront
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — in football
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rule — a law
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bank — of a river

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