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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 120 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: cold · craft · wave · row · safe · board · net · lash

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. row — a line
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. craft — a skill
  13. net — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. board — a committee
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. craft — boats

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