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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spring — a coil
  3. face — part of the head
  4. branch — a division
  5. stand — to bear
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spring — the season
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bank — for money
  10. ground — crushed
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bank — for money
  16. ground — a position
  17. row — a line
  18. spring — of water
  19. face — to confront
  20. bank — of a river
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stand — for spectators

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