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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: wake · tube · face · kick · march · spell · bound · leaves

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — in football
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tube — the underground
  7. march — the month
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — letters
  14. march — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — a short time
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — certain
  21. spell — magic
  22. face — to confront
  23. bound — obliged
  24. leaves — lets stay

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