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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. face — to confront
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — part of the head
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. squash — to crush
  16. face — to point toward
  17. squash — the sport
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chest — a box
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. bank — of a river

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