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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spell — magic
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. spell — a short time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. branch — a division
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. court — of a king
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. face — to confront

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