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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: march · spring · face · bank · hide · last · kid · bound

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. face — to point toward
  3. last — final
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — to go on
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — finally
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — to confront
  19. kid — child
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — the month

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