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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: band · rash · calf · field · net · lash · wax · safe

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. band — a music group
  8. field — a subject
  9. band — a ring
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — in sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — for catching
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — after costs
  17. rash — a series
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — to grow
  24. calf — a young animal

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