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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: root · bound · stand · face · wound · season · hand · mouse

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — in sport
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. root — of a word
  15. bound — certain
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to confront
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stand — to bear

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