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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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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: leaves · cell · face · wind · kid · track · wake · chest

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cell — in biology
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — child
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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