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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · patient · spell · track · rest · face · object · bay

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — letters
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. face — to confront
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — what's left
  11. object — a thing
  12. spell — magic
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. track — a song
  16. rest — what's left
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — a path
  19. face — part of the head
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — certain
  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