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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: can · spell · rest · bound · face · degree · cold · roll

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. can — a tin
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cold — not warm
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. spell — letters
  11. roll — a cake
  12. face — to confront
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — a break
  15. face — part of the head
  16. degree — from a university
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — magic
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — certain
  23. can — a tin
  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