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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · face · cell · bowl · firm · staff · wound · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. firm — decided
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — in biology
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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