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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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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: racket · mark · snap · tube · wax · kick · lash · nail

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. kick — in football
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wax — to grow
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to click
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — a container

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