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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — letters
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — a country
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — magic
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. land — to come down
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — the fruit

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