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

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. band — a music group
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — to confront
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — to protest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a ring
  16. object — a thing
  17. hand — help
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. object — an aim
  23. ball — a dance
  24. hand — in cards

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