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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of law
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. face — to confront
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chest — a box
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. rest — a break
  16. bank — for money
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rest — what's left
  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