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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 · hand · mug · saw · sharp · fine · shower · wake

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mug — a face
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hand — help
  12. mug — to rob
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. fine — all right
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fine — high quality
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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