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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. row — a line
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bank — for money
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — a phone
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — to confront
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bank — for money
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tube — a container

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