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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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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: tube · kid · tear · lash · wax · rest · stem · object

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. object — a thing
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — to tease
  8. object — to protest
  9. tube — a container
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tear — from crying

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