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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 116 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: face · lash · content · wound · wave · coach · nail · bark

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. face — to point toward
  17. content — the amount
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. content — happy
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  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