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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: calf · prune · lash · fan · face · track · cold · staff

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a song
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to point toward

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