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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: face · content · straw · temple · pound · rash · wax · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — a series
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — to grow
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. content — happy
  21. chest — a box
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — to point toward
  24. content — the amount

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