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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: bore · cabinet · wound · current · mug · face · pound · suit

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. current — of water
  5. mug — to rob
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to tire
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. face — part of the head
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. face — to point toward

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