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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: wave · mine · nail · bark · lie · squash · cold · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cold — not warm
  5. face — to confront
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — to crush
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. face — to point toward

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