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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 120 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: bank · stem · face · stick · key · safe · snap · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — the most important part
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. snap — to click
  13. game — a match
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. key — in music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bank — for money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — to confront
  24. bank — of a river

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