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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. root — of a word
  5. bank — of a river
  6. root — the cause
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. kid — child
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bank — for money

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