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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. face — to point toward
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bound — obliged
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hand — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. face — to confront
  13. hand — help
  14. perch — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — the tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. drill — army training
  24. stem — of a plant

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