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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: band · pound · rash · nail · wind · wake · lash · wave

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. band — a music group
  5. rash — a series
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. band — a ring
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — on the skin

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