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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: land · can · cabinet · wave · toast · hand · degree · face

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. land — a country
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — to confront
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. land — ground
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. land — to come down
  16. degree — an amount
  17. toast — bread
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — temperature
  23. face — part of the head
  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