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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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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: swing · vault · saw · lash · face · content · wound · present

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. present — a gift
  3. face — to confront
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — to play on
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — happy
  11. face — part of the head
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. vault — a safe
  17. present — the time now
  18. face — to point toward
  19. present — there
  20. wound — an injury
  21. content — the amount
  22. swing — in golf
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. swing — music

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