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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: lash · stem · key · toast · snap · face · wind · rush

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. snap — to click
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. face — part of the head
  14. toast — bread
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. key — the most important part
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rush — hurry
  20. face — to confront
  21. stem — to come from
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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