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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 · tear · wake · board · pass · lash · ground · spring

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. board — a committee
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spring — the season
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to confront
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — a position
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — a coil

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