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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: key · wind · face · last · band · mate · lie · lean

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — final
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — finally
  13. lie — to recline
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — for a lock
  18. band — a ring
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mate — to breed
  21. face — to confront
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mate — a friend

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