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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. row — a line
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — a subject
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lean — thin
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. field — farmland
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — a practice

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