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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: stick · bank · wake · date · face · sharp · mouse · swing

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — in golf
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — to play on
  6. date — the fruit
  7. swing — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to confront
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. sharp — exactly

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