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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 120 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: dip · coach · bound · face · race · tear · wind · lash

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. race — a contest
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. face — part of the head
  6. dip — to sink
  7. race — humankind
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. race — the arms race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tear — from crying
  16. face — to confront
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. lash — to lash out

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