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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: wind · pound · rock · foot · lie · face · chest · roll

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. face — to confront
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chest — a box
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — music
  24. roll — on a roll

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