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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: staff · kick · track · wax · lash · rule · bat · bowl

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. staff — employees
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kick — in football
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — a song
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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