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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 · temple · kid · face · firm · snap · date · bore

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — part of the head
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bore — to tire
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bore — to drill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. firm — a company
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. firm — decided
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. date — the fruit
  21. face — to confront
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. firm — steady

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