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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: band · row · wax · bound · lash · bank · march · pitcher

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bank — for money
  5. bound — tied together
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bound — certain
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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