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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: bound · spring · suit · face · tube · fan · cabinet · date

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — obliged
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — a coil
  7. suit — clothes
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to confront
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. suit — to fit
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tube — a container
  21. date — the fruit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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