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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bass — low music
  5. suit — to fit
  6. face — to confront
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bank — for money
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bank — of a river
  18. suit — clothes
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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