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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. bank — of a river
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. field — farmland
  7. tube — a container
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. face — to confront
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — the underground
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bank — for money

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