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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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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 · squash · pound · bound · net · stick · wave · lie

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. face — to point toward
  17. net — after costs
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. wave — of the sea
  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