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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 · staff · shower · can · chair · net · foot · wave

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. net — for catching
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. net — in sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. can — a tin
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. face — to confront
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — after costs
  17. can — to be able to
  18. staff — employees
  19. face — part of the head
  20. foot — a measure
  21. staff — a stick
  22. shower — rain
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — to wash

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