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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bat — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. hand — help
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — for digging
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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