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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: kid · lash · jam · fork · wax · deal · track · shower

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fork — in a road
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. track — a song
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. track — a path
  20. shower — rain
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fork — a garden tool

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