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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: band · ball · wound · pass · fork · face · toast · wind

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. toast — bread
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. face — to point toward
  9. band — a ring
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pass — a permit
  21. band — a music group
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — moving air

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