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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: saw · game · key · face · net · trunk · bank · stem

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — to confront
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — for catching
  7. bank — of a river
  8. key — in music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. game — a match
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — to come from
  15. game — wild animals
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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