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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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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: land · pitch · bank · content · club · face · fork · can

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. can — to be able to
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. can — a tin
  7. face — to confront
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. land — a country
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pitch — completely
  17. club — a group
  18. face — part of the head
  19. content — the amount
  20. land — ground
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — in a road
  23. club — for golf
  24. bank — for money

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