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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: face · cell · bear · bank · row · land · mug · drill

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. drill — army training
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. land — a country
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — in a prison

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