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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — for money
  7. pop — music
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a list
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pop — to visit
  13. face — to confront
  14. branch — a division
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chest — a box
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fine — all right
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pop — soda
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bank — of a river

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