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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: stock · spell · face · ground · perch · cabinet · drill · bound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — crushed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — a position
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — goods
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — obliged
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — to confront
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — the earth

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