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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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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: suit · chest · file · wax · bat · lash · kick · calf

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kick — in football
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — a box
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a tool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — in cards

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