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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — boats
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — of water
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a document
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spring — the season
  20. craft — a skill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — the fruit

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