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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: arm · band · last · fine · bound · face · bowl · rash

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. face — to confront
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. face — part of the head
  5. band — a music group
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rash — hasty
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. band — a ring
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — a series
  16. last — to go on
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bound — tied together
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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