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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: bear · dip · face · bound · net · game · key · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — for a lock
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — a match
  21. net — in sport
  22. game — wild animals
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. key — the most important part

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