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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · rest · face · temple · track · land · calf · shower

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bass — low music
  9. land — to come down
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the fish
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rest — a break
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. track — a path
  17. land — a country
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — a song
  24. shower — rain

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