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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: march · row · cabinet · face · bound · stick · deal · calf

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — tied together
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bound — certain
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — to handle
  15. face — to confront
  16. row — a line
  17. march — music
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — obliged

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