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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: game · wave · cell · board · lash · patient · wax · trunk

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. board — to get on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. board — a committee
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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