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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: chair · pop · face · wake · track · bound · snap · tube

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. snap — to click
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — a container
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tube — the underground
  19. track — a path
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. track — a song
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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