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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: saw · squash · roll · club · bank · face · chest · bear

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bank — for money
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. roll — a cake
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. club — for golf
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. squash — to crush

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