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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: tear · date · net · face · row · bank · trunk · lean

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — to paddle
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — thin
  17. bank — of a river
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. date — the fruit
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  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