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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 116 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: wax · wave · wound · hand · pitch · saw · lash · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hand — help
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mate — to breed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  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