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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 120 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rest — what's left
  3. face — to confront
  4. suit — to fit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. clip — for paper
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bank — for money
  15. suit — in cards
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rest — a break
  18. bank — of a river
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mine — an explosive

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