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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: cell · temple · face · bass · wind · tear · prune · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bass — low music
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — to rip

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