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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spell — magic
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. swing — in golf
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fine — all right
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — the cause
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — to confront
  24. root — of a word

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