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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 120 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: racket · face · wave · capital · bear · spring · bound · stem

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. face — to confront
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spring — a coil
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. capital — money
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. stem — to come from
  17. face — to point toward
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bound — certain
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wave — with your hand

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