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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: land · ground · track · bulb · wave · wax · lash · bound

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. land — ground
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ground — crushed
  13. track — a path
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — to come down
  18. bound — certain
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ground — a position
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bulb — for light
  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