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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 120 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: dip · spring · lean · wind · bass · face · land · nail

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. face — to point toward
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — the fish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — a coil
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — ground
  13. spring — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. land — a country
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spring — the season
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — low music
  23. land — to come down
  24. nail — on a finger

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