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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: wave · spring · row · sharp · bore · wake · ground · lash

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ground — a position
  4. row — a line
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. spring — of water
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — clever
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — crushed

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