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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: bore · mouse · last · cabinet · march · face · wound · mug

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — final
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mug — a cup
  7. march — music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mug — a face
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — to go on
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bore — to 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