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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: dip · season · wave · cabinet · lash · tear · saw · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a ring
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. dip — to sink
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. band — a music group
  21. season — of the year
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tear — to rip
  24. season — in sport

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