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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · mug · board · spring · wound · face · march · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. face — to confront
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mug — a face
  6. march — music
  7. board — a committee
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spring — of water
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — to rob
  17. march — the month
  18. wound — an injury
  19. board — to get on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. face — to point toward

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