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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · face · rock · net · bank · march · object · stick

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a line of people
  9. net — in sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. object — to protest
  13. rock — a stone
  14. march — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. object — an aim
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — after costs
  20. file — a document
  21. object — a thing
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. file — a tool

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