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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.

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: march · wax · tube · cold · coach · lash · dip · stand

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — to bear
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. march — music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — a container
  16. cold — an illness
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — the underground
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. dip — to dunk

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