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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: chest · fork · shower · current · bass · fan · face · stand

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. shower — rain
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — a box
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — electric
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fork — in a road
  16. current — happening now
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — to confront
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stand — to bear

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