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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. face — to confront
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cell — in biology
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rock — music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — to point toward
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cell — in a prison

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