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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: chest · leaves · face · temple · bulb · wake · bass · ball

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. bass — low music
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chest — of your body
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. face — part of the head
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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