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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.

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: key · spell · fall · bound · wind · face · mate · bore

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — magic
  5. face — to confront
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — letters
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. face — part of the head
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bound — certain
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — a short time

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