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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: cell · board · race · bass · face · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — a phone
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. board — a committee
  6. cell — in biology
  7. race — a contest
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — low music
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. face — part of the head
  18. board — to get on

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