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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 116 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: mug · trunk · fall · fine · face · degree · rest · bank

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mug — a face
  8. bank — for money
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rest — a break
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fall — the season
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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