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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: arm · leaves · cold · bore · band · rash · temple · face

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bore — to tire
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — to drill
  13. band — a music group
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rash — a series
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. face — to confront
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a ring
  24. face — to point toward

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