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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mark — a grade
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bank — of a river
  12. row — a line
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — part of the head

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