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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ground — a position
  5. face — to confront
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — to point toward
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bank — for money

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