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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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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: wound · leaves · cue · rock · lash · spring · scale · face

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — in music
  10. rock — music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — to confront
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — of water
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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