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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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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: kick · wave · stick · spring · leaves · bank · spell · face

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — letters
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. spell — magic
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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