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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 120 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: last · rash · chest · face · rest · nail · tear · trunk

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rest — what's left
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chest — a box
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — what's left
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — to go on
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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