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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: roll · date · cap · lash · face · lean · clip · mine

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lean — thin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cap — a lid
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mine — for digging
  13. face — part of the head
  14. roll — a list
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. roll — a cake
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cap — of ice
  24. roll — on a roll

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