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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · bass · calf · wave · lash · mark · wind · rush

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bass — the fish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hand — help
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bass — low music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — of the sea

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