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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: pound · kick · squash · bear · fan · lie · row · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lie — to recline
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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