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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: face · perch · roll · cap · fan · wave · spring · staff

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. staff — employees
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. face — to confront
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. face — to point toward
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spring — of water
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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