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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.

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: bound · stick · face · stand · clip · key · rash · field

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. clip — for paper
  3. key — in music
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to confront
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — part of the head
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — obliged
  13. key — for a lock
  14. field — for sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bound — certain
  20. field — a subject
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. stand — on your feet

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