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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: bay · bass · roll · bound · face · bark · rush · ground

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — a position
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — crushed
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bass — low music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. roll — a list
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — certain
  13. face — to confront
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. roll — a cake
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — of a tree

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