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

Word bank: fork · safe · march · rest · firm · wave · board · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. firm — steady
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. rest — what's left
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — a break
  12. firm — decided
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. board — to get on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wave — with your hand

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