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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: race · wave · last · wake · face · can · charge · board

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. face — part of the head
  4. last — to go on
  5. charge — in control
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — humankind
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. charge — electricity
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. face — to point toward
  14. race — the arms race
  15. last — final
  16. race — a contest
  17. can — a tin
  18. charge — a price
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. board — a flat piece

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