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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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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: lash · bark · tube · kid · game · temple · wax · racket

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wax — to grow
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. game — a match
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bark — to shout
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — a container
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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