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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. land — to come down
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bass — low music
  8. land — a country
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wound — an injury
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. face — to point toward
  17. craft — boats
  18. lean — thin
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pit — a hole
  24. face — to confront

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