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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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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 · club · rest · lean · trunk · temple · foot · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — a group
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. foot — a measure
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lean — to bend
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. face — part of the head
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. face — to confront
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. club — for dancing
  24. temple — side of the head

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