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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: roll · land · file · pop · bank · face · straw · prune

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. file — a tool
  3. face — part of the head
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bank — of a river
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. pop — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. file — a document
  16. pop — soda
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — ground
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — a cake
  23. file — a line of people
  24. face — to point toward

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