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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: spring · plane · wave · tear · lash · pass · game · drill

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — a permit
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. plane — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. drill — army training
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. lash — an eyelash

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