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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: hand · lash · spring · last · firm · face · board · fan

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — decided
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — to confront
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — help
  10. last — finally
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. firm — steady
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — final
  20. firm — a company
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. face — to point toward

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