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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wake — a trail
  4. branch — a division
  5. race — a contest
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — the season
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. face — part of the head
  14. race — humankind
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ball — a great time
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. last — to go on
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. face — to confront
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bank — for money

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