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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: board · bulb · wax · deal · kick · pitch · lash · straw

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. board — a committee
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. kick — in football
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitch — completely
  24. deal — to handle

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