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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: face · bank · wake · march · craft · stand · cold · mark

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — a grade
  4. face — to point toward
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bank — for money
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bank — of a river
  12. march — music
  13. craft — boats
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wake — a trail
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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