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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pound — a weight
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — a position
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. branch — a division
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. face — to confront
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. band — a ring

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