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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. file — a line of people
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rock — a stone
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mate — a partner
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to confront
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — ground
  19. rock — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. file — a document

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