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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 116 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: bat · lash · wax · pass · patient · nail · vault · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pass — a permit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. patient — a sick person

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