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

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. face — to confront
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fall — the season
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bound — certain
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bound — tied together
  14. scale — in music
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cell — a phone

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