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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 116 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: bass · rash · bear · rest · cap · mark · wake · face

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rest — a break
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cap — a hat
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rash — hasty
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rest — what's left

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