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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 120 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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lie — to recline
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — money
  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