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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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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: hand · mine · bowl · race · bank · drill · face · bear

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bank — for money
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — humankind
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. hand — help
  15. face — to confront
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — the animal

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