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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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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: race · wake · bear · drill · lash · wax · staff · fork

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bear — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — a trail
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. race — a contest
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — humankind
  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