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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — to come down
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — a country
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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