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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: date · lash · board · cabinet · fork · degree · band · wax

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fork — in a road
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. band — a music group
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. degree — an amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. band — a ring

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