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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · kick · wax · perch · drill · bass · band · lash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — low music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. band — a ring
  22. perch — the fish
  23. drill — army training
  24. kick — with a leg

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