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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 · shower · tube · field · roll · band · trunk · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — rain
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. band — a music group
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. field — farmland
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. field — for sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. band — a ring
  16. tube — a container
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — a permit
  19. face — to confront
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. field — a subject
  24. roll — a list

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