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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. face — part of the head
  4. field — farmland
  5. bank — for money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mark — a trace
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — to confront
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bank — of a river
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. field — a subject
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — for sport

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