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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: kid · kick · date · wax · field · sharp · lie · lash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — farmland
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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