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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: bound · lean · last · face · mine · mark · fan · suit

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — thin
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bound — certain
  14. face — to confront
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. suit — in cards
  19. face — to point toward
  20. last — final
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. lean — to bend

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