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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. roll — a list
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. toast — bread
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a music group
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wound — an injury
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. roll — a cake
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — an eyelash

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