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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 · rest · cap · temple · pass · roll · face · bear

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bear — the animal
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a music group
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rest — a break
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pass — a permit
  21. face — part of the head
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. temple — side of the head

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