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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: ground · pitcher · wax · rash · lash · band · saw · rock

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — a series
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a ring
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rock — a stone
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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