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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. face — to confront
  3. bank — of a river
  4. file — a document
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. charge — a price
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a line of people
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cell — in biology
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. file — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — for money

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