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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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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 · clip · kid · shower · board · stick · leaves · lash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — for paper
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. board — a committee
  12. clip — a video
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — child
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. shower — rain

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