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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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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: sharp · wax · press · wind · bore · lash · bark · swing

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — to shout
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — to tire
  7. swing — to play on
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. swing — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. press — a publisher

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