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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · hide · ground · face · staff · track

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — a position
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — a path
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — obliged
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — certain
  9. track — a song
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — the earth
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ground — crushed
  16. staff — a stick
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — tied together

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