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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: hand · cabinet · wake · rest · cap · rock · face · rush

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rest — a break
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — help
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — music

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