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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: roll · trunk · row · lie · wave · lash · file · band

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. lie — to recline
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. roll — a cake
  8. band — a ring
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a document
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. roll — a list
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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