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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: tear · rash · cabinet · bat · lash · wind · calf · wax

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. calf — of the leg

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