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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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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: ground · file · face · calf · bound · tube · chair · wake

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a document
  6. tube — a container
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chair — a leader
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ground — crushed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. face — to confront
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wake — before a funeral

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