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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: game · mate · band · lean · kid · face · bank · lash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. face — part of the head
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mate — a friend
  15. band — a ring
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lean — thin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — to point toward
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — to confront

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