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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: board · saw · last · object · court · wave · lash · spell

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. spell — magic
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. board — to get on
  7. court — of a king
  8. spell — letters
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. court — of law
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. object — an aim
  13. board — a committee
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. object — to protest
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. last — final
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — a short time
  24. object — a thing

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