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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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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: wax · bank · cap · tear · squash · lie · lash · stand

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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