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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: rock · season · mouse · bound · branch · face · roll · last

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rock — a stone
  4. roll — a cake
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — finally
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — final
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. roll — a list
  23. last — to go on
  24. bound — obliged

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