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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: spell · pit · face · leaves · tube · deal · bound · ball

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spell — letters
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spell — a short time
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. face — to confront
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pit — a hole
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ball — a great time
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ball — a dance
  24. face — to point toward

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