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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · spring · mug · rule · bark · present · face · foot

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. present — the time now
  3. bark — to shout
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spring — a coil
  6. present — there
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mug — to rob
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rule — government
  17. mug — a face
  18. band — a ring
  19. rule — a law
  20. present — a gift
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mug — a cup

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