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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: wind · ball · lash · nail · craft · wound · swing · face

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. craft — boats
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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