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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 120 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: bore · bass · spell · wake · chair · face · present · bound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. present — a gift
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bound — certain
  7. present — there
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bore — to drill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spell — magic
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. face — to confront
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chair — a leader
  19. present — the time now
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bass — low music

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