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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · track · march · wax · lash · mine · lie · bat

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — for golf
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lash — to lash out

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