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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bank — for money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — in sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — a permit
  24. face — to point toward

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