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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: ground · face · leaves · kick · wound · staff · bound · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. ground — the earth
  7. kick — in football
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — a position
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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