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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bank — of a river
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. spring — a coil
  12. craft — a skill
  13. spring — the season
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. pop — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. craft — boats
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. craft — a handicraft

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