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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · mark · face · spell · bass · lash · cell · field

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mark — a trace
  5. spell — letters
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — farmland
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — magic
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. field — for sport

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