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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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · safe · hand · branch · lash · bowl · face · row

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hand — help
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — to paddle
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. face — to confront
  24. nail — for a hammer

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