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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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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 · trunk · wind · kid · face · bass · temple · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. face — to confront
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — to go on
  13. bass — low music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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