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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: cell · mark · bulb · bank · stand · face · drill · court

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — of law
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. court — of a king
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bank — for money
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cell — a phone
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bank — for money

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