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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: bark · ruler · bank · wind · mine · face · jam · toast

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bank — for money
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bank — for money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. toast — bread
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bank — of a river
  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