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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — to confront
  9. spring — of water
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. shower — rain
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. shower — to wash
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. face — to point toward

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