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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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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 · face · last · temple · kid · bear · chair · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kid — to tease
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. face — part of the head
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. last — final
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — finally
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. band — a ring
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kid — child
  24. last — to go 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