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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
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: band · leaves · lash · vault · net · wound · face · last

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. face — to point toward
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. band — a music group
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — for catching
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — final
  17. band — a ring
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. last — finally
  20. face — part of the head
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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