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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: lash · mate · mine · bark · hide · bear · wax · row

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bark — to shout
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. row — a line
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hide — to keep secret

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