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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: wound · wave · firm · rule · lash · bay · hand · land

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. wound — an injury
  11. firm — steady
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. hand — help
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — government
  20. land — to come down
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. land — ground

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