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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
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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 · coach · spell · current · temple · chest · wave · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spell — magic
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — happening now
  21. chest — a box
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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