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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 116 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: spell · board · bore · saw · face · bear · land · sharp

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. sharp — clever
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. board — a committee
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bore — to drill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — to tire
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — to point toward

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