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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: temple · bound · current · drill · club · face · wave · kid

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. temple — side of the head
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. club — for dancing
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kid — child
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bound — certain
  8. current — electric
  9. bound — obliged
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. current — of water
  13. club — for golf
  14. current — happening now
  15. face — to confront
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. club — a group
  23. kid — to tease
  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