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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: cold · temple · wave · craft · face · trunk · rest · stick

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rest — a break
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. face — to point toward
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. craft — boats
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to confront
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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