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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: game · bore · leaves · mark · degree · face · prune · bound

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — to point toward
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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