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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pop — soda
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. band — a ring
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pop — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — to confront
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — to cut
  20. band — a music group
  21. toast — bread
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — of water
  24. pop — to visit

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