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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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · lash · date · net · bore · patient · trunk · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — after costs
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. face — to confront
  23. net — for catching
  24. date — the fruit

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