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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: ball · bore · face · wind · fine · bound · branch · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — all right
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. branch — a division
  24. bore — to tire

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