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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: wave · fine · ground · tear · lash · face · chair · charge

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — a price
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. charge — electricity
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fine — all right
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ground — a position
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. face — to confront

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