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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: lash · sharp · date · wind · march · season · lean · band

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — the month
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lean — thin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — the month
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a ring
  13. lean — to bend
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. band — a music group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. date — the fruit

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