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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 · cabinet · leaves · row · lie · bowl · spring · bound

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — of water
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. face — to confront
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. row — a line
  20. lie — to recline
  21. row — to paddle
  22. spring — the season
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lie — an untruth

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