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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. current — of water
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. saw — the tool
  12. current — happening now
  13. net — in sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hand — in cards
  17. face — to point toward
  18. net — for catching
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. current — electric
  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