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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fan · rest · mine · object · lean · lash · band · face

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. object — to protest
  5. face — part of the head
  6. band — a music group
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. band — a ring
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. object — an aim
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — to confront
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — thin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lash — an eyelash

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