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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 116 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: face · present · cell · hand · saw · bound · mark · firm

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bound — certain
  4. firm — a company
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — in cards
  9. firm — decided
  10. face — part of the head
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. firm — steady
  16. mark — a grade
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. bound — tied together
  20. face — to confront
  21. hand — help
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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