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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spring · board · wax · racket · march · saw · lash · mate

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. board — a committee
  3. spring — the season
  4. mate — a partner
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. board — to get on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — of water
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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