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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 120 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: wake · dip · lash · wax · drill · land · board · spring

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. spring — the season
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — of water
  13. land — ground
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. board — a committee
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — a practice
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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