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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. ground — a position
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to confront
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bank — for money
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spring — the season
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rush — to hurry
  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