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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 · ruler · bear · plane · coach · face · chest · hand

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. face — part of the head
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. face — to confront
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — a tool
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. chest — a box
  24. hand — help

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