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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: chair · drill · lash · wound · hide · lean · wax · wave

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — army training
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lean — thin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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