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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: bay · drill · face · rash · fork · bear · capital · bound

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bound — certain
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rash — a series
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — army training
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rash — hasty

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