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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: lean · hand · lash · wake · bulb · tear · face · ball

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — help
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — thin

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