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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. band — a ring
  3. face — to point toward
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. bank — of a river
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bank — for money
  12. spell — a short time
  13. present — there
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. face — to confront
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. present — the time now
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — for money
  24. face — part of the head

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