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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: face · firm · wound · rock · bore · ground · lie · file

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. firm — steady
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a document
  12. face — part of the head
  13. firm — a company
  14. file — a tool
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. firm — decided
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — to confront
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ground — crushed

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