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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: face · file · bound · hand · snap · ground · row · tube

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ground — a position
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — a container
  7. hand — help
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — the earth
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — in cards
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — part of the head
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — to confront
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — crushed
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — tied together

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