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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. march — the month
  10. face — part of the head
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. face — to point toward
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to bend
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lean — thin

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