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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · rest · bound · bowl · mate · trunk · wake · face

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mate — a partner
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — ground
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bound — certain
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — part of the head
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. land — to come down

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