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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. face — to confront
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — a division
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. face — to point toward
  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