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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.

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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: club · bank · tear · drill · can · ground · face · pitch

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bank — of a river
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — a group
  9. ground — crushed
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. drill — army training
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — for golf
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ground — a position
  20. bank — for money
  21. can — a tin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. ground — the earth

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