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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: face · lie · wound · mug · chair · tube · ruler · straw

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — a container
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — a face
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. mug — to rob

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