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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: bear · rest · spring · ball · face · hand · fall · bay

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. spring — the season
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spring — of water
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hand — help
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — in cards
  24. face — to confront

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