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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: snap · chest · wave · face · stick · bank · firm · cell

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chest — a box
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. face — to confront
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bank — of a river
  22. firm — a company
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — in biology

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