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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 120 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 · pop · clip · snap · wave · craft · rash · sharp

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — a series
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — clever
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to point toward
  10. craft — boats
  11. face — to confront
  12. snap — to click
  13. pop — soda
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pop — music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. face — part of the head
  24. clip — a video

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