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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: cold · staff · rash · wake · bear · mate · bound · face

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cold — an illness
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — to confront
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mate — to breed
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. staff — employees

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