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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: leaves · wax · lash · wind · sharp · race · spell · temple

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. race — a contest
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — clever
  15. race — humankind
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. race — the arms race

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