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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lash · wind · spring · stand · wax · saw · shower

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. shower — rain
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stand — to bear
  21. band — a ring
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wax — to grow
  24. saw — the tool

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