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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · mine · lash · clip · bank · face · game · stock

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — for digging
  4. game — a match
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. face — part of the head
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. face — to confront
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to point toward
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bank — of a river
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — goods
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bowl — a dish

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