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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ground — crushed
  4. face — part of the head
  5. present — there
  6. bank — of a river
  7. present — the time now
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bore — to drill
  13. face — to confront
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — army training
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — a gift
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pound — a weight
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. 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