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

Word bank: face · bank · wound · pound · game · stock

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — goods
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stock — shares
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — of a river
  18. game — a kind of play

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