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

Word bank: dip · face · pass · mine · lash · fork · saw · wave

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — to confront
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. face — to point toward
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. face — part of the head
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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