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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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468
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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bear — the animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bear — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. face — to confront
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. snap — to click

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