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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. land — ground
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bank — for money
  9. cell — in biology
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — to come down
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — to confront
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — a country

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