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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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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: face · firm · capital · bound · bore · wind · file · lie

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — money
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bore — to drill
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. firm — steady
  17. face — to confront
  18. capital — a city
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — decided
  23. file — a document
  24. bore — gave birth

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