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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: firm · cold · face · track · club · leaves · pit · bank

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bank — for money
  4. firm — steady
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cold — an illness
  7. club — a group
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. club — for dancing
  10. track — a song
  11. firm — a company
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. firm — decided
  14. bank — of a river
  15. face — to confront
  16. pit — a hole
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. club — for golf
  19. cold — not warm
  20. face — to point toward
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bank — for money
  23. face — part of the head
  24. leaves — of a tree

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