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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · face · fan · lash · pass · prune · net · toast

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. face — to confront
  12. toast — bread
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. net — in sport
  16. track — a song
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. track — to keep track
  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