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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: lash · current · ground · wake · wave · drill · chest · march

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. march — the month
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ground — the earth
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. drill — the tool
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — happening now
  18. ground — a position
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — of water
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. march — the month

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