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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 120 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: last · bank · wake · cap · lean · scale · pound · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bank — of a river
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bank — for money
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wake — a trail
  16. face — to point toward
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. scale — size or range
  24. last — to go on

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