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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.

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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 · perch · wave · mark · content · mine · bark · lash

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. face — part of the head
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. content — happy
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. content — the amount
  24. mine — belonging to me

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