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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: hand · scale · fan · pass · coach · lash · wake · saw

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hand — help
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pass — a permit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pass — to spend time

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