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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.

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: content · drill · wound · perch · face · pass · mine · bore

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — to tire
  5. perch — the fish
  6. content — the amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — to point toward
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pass — a permit

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