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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: saw · face · wake · rash · lean · rock · file · spell

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rash — a series
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lean — to bend
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. file — a tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lean — thin
  18. file — a document
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rash — hasty

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