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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.

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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: kid · saw · drill · mine · bound · bay · face · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — army training
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. mine — for digging
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kid — to tease
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. arm — part of the body

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