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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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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 · straw · fall · drill · rest · rock · last · wax

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. drill — army training
  3. rock — music
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. last — finally
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rock — a stone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — the season
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. drill — a practice

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