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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: bound · bulb · straw · fork · drill · pitcher · nail · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. fork — in a road
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. drill — army training
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — certain
  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