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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: lash · hide · stem · fork · wave · chest · bound · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fork — in a road

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