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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: chest · lean · mine · face · bank · mark · rule · bound

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lean — thin
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — certain
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lean — to bend
  11. face — to confront
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — for money
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. mine — for digging

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