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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · chest · wave · lean · roll · bass · straw · face

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — to get on
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lean — to bend
  7. roll — a list
  8. face — to confront
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — thin
  11. board — a committee
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bass — the fish
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bass — low music
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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