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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: key · face · wound · bank · cell · pound · track · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bank — for money
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. face — to confront
  11. bank — for money
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bank — of a river
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. key — the most important part
  17. chair — a leader
  18. track — a path
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a song
  21. key — in music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cell — a phone
  24. key — for a lock

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