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

Word bank: wind · lash · bank · bat · temple · bass · face · chair

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — the animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bass — the fish
  17. face — part of the head
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. chair — a leader
  20. face — to confront
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — low music

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