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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bound — certain
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stem — to come from
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — lets stay

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