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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: pop · bank · date · saw · row · court · roll · face

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bank — for money
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. roll — a cake
  9. face — to point toward
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. roll — a list
  16. bank — of a river
  17. date — the fruit
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of law

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