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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · stock · saw · bank · pitch · face

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bank — of a river

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