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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 · face · bound · stick · saw · tube · lie · roll

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — to confront
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — a list
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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