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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · cabinet · fork · lash · row · hand · drill · wave

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — help
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. row — a line
  24. chair — a leader

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