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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: dip · wave · game · lash · wake · fall · firm · row

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — a trail
  3. firm — decided
  4. fall — to drop
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. firm — steady
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fall — the season
  15. game — a match
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. firm — a company
  18. game — wild animals
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. row — a line
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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