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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: wound · face · roll · mark · chest · rash · toast · wave

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mark — a trace
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chest — a box
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — to confront
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — a series
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. roll — a list
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mark — a grade
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wave — with your hand

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