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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · firm · field · lash · kick · chest · wax · board

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chest — a box
  7. board — a committee
  8. firm — decided
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. firm — a company
  11. field — a subject
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wax — to grow
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kick — in football
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. field — farmland
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — a match
  23. firm — steady
  24. board — to get on

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