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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bank — for money
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bank — of a river
  9. face — to confront
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — a match
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — for catching
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chip — for betting
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — the earth

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