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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: face · wound · band · cap · pit · lie · roll · fan

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cap — a hat
  9. roll — a list
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. cap — of ice
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pit — in a race
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. lie — to recline
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. roll — a cake
  24. band — a music group

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