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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bank — for money
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bank — of a river
  6. face — to confront
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. face — to point toward
  9. board — to get on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — on the skin

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