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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
468
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: plane · mine · bark · stick · roll · content · face · bound

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — certain
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. roll — a list
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — for digging
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. content — the amount

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