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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 · wound · chest · tear · cap · suit · ball · fan

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — a lid

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