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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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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 · band · bound · suit · rest · drill · clip · fan

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bound — certain
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — obliged
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. suit — in cards
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. face — to confront
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. face — part of the head
  20. suit — to fit
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. suit — clothes
  24. face — to point toward

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