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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · fan · rock · wake · pitcher · season · face · lean

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. face — part of the head
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — thin
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — the season
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — in sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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