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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 120 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 · season · mine · racket · board · spring · wave · prune

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spring — of water
  4. face — to confront
  5. spring — the season
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — part of the head
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — a coil
  11. season — in sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. prune — to trim

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