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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: bore · cap · bound · pop · bulb · face · chair · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — certain
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pop — soda
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bore — to drill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pop — to visit
  16. face — to confront
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — to sit on

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