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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 · key · fan · wound · bark · rash

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rash — a series
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — to shout
  13. key — the most important part
  14. face — to confront
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. key — in music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. 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