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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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · mug · bound · rest · hide · tube · cell · bass

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mug — a face
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tube — the underground
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — a container
  11. rest — a break
  12. bass — low music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bound — certain
  17. face — to confront
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in a prison

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