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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — the season
  3. bank — of a river
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — a line
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — for digging
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. face — part of the head
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — of law
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. band — a music group
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — to confront
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. band — a ring
  24. row — to paddle

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