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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.

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: wave · stick · game · drill · leaves · bound · spring · lash

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spring — the season
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. drill — a practice
  8. spring — of water
  9. bound — certain
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. drill — army training
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. drill — the tool
  24. leaves — lets stay

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