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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: rock · wake · lie · bear · spell · bound · chip · face

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chip — for betting
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spell — magic
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — a trail

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