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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bank — of a river
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — to confront
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bank — for money
  20. plane — a tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. row — a line
  24. stand — for spectators

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