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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. wind — moving air
  6. firm — steady
  7. clip — a video
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. suit — clothes
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. firm — decided
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — to cut
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spring — the season
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. firm — a company
  24. lash — an eyelash

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