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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. face — to confront
  3. wake — a trail
  4. club — for golf
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spell — magic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — a group
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bank — for money
  24. stand — for spectators

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