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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spring — the season
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rash — a series
  8. tube — a container
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — to drill
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. last — final
  21. cell — a phone
  22. last — finally
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. face — part of the head

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