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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stem — to come from
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spring — the season
  13. face — part of the head
  14. band — a music group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. band — a ring
  24. spring — a coil

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