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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: fall · wax · mate · pound · rock · fine · lash · game

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — all right
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. game — a match
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fall — the season
  24. game — a kind of play

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