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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: bark · rash · shower · lash · pit · wax · key · dip

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — rain
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — in a race
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wax — to grow

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