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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to confront
  9. band — a ring
  10. bass — the fish
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. bank — for money
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bank — of a river
  21. court — of a king
  22. pound — a weight
  23. plane — a tool
  24. face — to point toward

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