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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. kid — child
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — music
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. field — farmland
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. field — for sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. field — a subject
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. face — to confront
  20. march — the month
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kid — to tease

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