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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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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: wound · face · drill · cabinet · bass · kick · arm · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kick — in football
  11. bass — low music
  12. present — there
  13. drill — army training
  14. face — to confront
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. face — part of the head
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. present — the time now
  24. cabinet — ministers

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