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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. face — to confront
  8. march — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — the season
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ball — a dance
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — of a river
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bank — for money
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. march — the month

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