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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: wave · mine · stick · lean · face · bay · band · season

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — thin
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lean — to bend
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. face — part of the head
  24. band — a music group

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