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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: coach · wound · object · hand · key · snap · wind · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. object — an aim
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. object — to protest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hand — help
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. object — a thing
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — for a lock
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. snap — to click
  24. face — part of the head

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