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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
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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: face · bowl · prune · game · spell · object · lash · chest

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — a match
  7. face — to confront
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — to protest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — a short time
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chest — a box
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — magic

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