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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · hide · bank · squash · fan · saw · face · stick

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — electric
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — of water
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bank — of a river
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. current — happening now
  24. saw — the 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