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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. face — to confront
  5. board — a committee
  6. net — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — a series
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. land — to come down
  14. board — to get on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. net — after costs
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bank — of a river
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. net — for catching

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