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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 120 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: spring · march · object · deal · face · bank · tear · dip

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — of water
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — to protest
  7. face — to confront
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — from crying
  10. object — an aim
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tear — to rip
  17. face — part of the head
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — a thing
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — to point toward

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