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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 · bound · bass · wound · coach · dip · rash · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — low music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chest — a box
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — the fish
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bound — obliged
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rash — a series

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