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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: deal · straw · race · face · roll · leaves · wake · can

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. roll — a cake
  3. can — to be able to
  4. face — to confront
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. face — part of the head
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — a contest
  13. deal — to handle
  14. can — a tin
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. can — a tin
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. roll — a list
  21. race — humankind
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. race — the arms race

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