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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 124 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — the time now
  8. face — to confront
  9. present — there
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a song
  15. present — a gift
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — not warm
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. face — to point toward
  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