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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: spring · lash · face · wake · rest · pitcher · wave · wound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to confront
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — an eyelash

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