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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: row · lash · ruler · wake · march · saw · bass · face

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. face — to confront
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. face — to point toward
  5. march — the month
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — music
  8. row — a line
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — part of the head
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wake — before a funeral

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