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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — a practice
  5. foot — a measure
  6. shower — rain
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — a video
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. clip — to cut
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bark — of a tree

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