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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — a position
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. object — to protest
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — of the year
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bank — for money
  13. season — in sport
  14. bank — of a river
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bank — for money
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. object — an aim
  21. band — a music group
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. object — a thing

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