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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: roll · spring · fine · can · wax · land · lash · straw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. spring — of water
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. land — ground
  8. fine — all right
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fine — high quality
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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