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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: wake · bark · bank · cell · face · mate · spell · lie

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spell — a short time
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — magic
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — to point toward

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