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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 116 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: object · saw · face · march · wound · lash · band · mate

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. march — music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mate — a friend
  6. march — the month
  7. face — to point toward
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — an aim
  13. march — the month
  14. face — to confront
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mate — a partner
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a music group
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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