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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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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: fall · lash · kick · shower · wax · pitcher · mark · club

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. club — a group
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kick — in football
  19. club — for golf
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. club — for dancing

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