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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fine — all right
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bark — to shout
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — certain
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. can — a tin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. can — to be able to
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. can — a tin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. face — to confront

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