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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 120 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: bank · capital · fall · wind · swing · cell · face · firm

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — in biology
  3. swing — in golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. firm — steady
  6. cell — a phone
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — part of the head
  13. capital — a city
  14. swing — to play on
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — a company
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. swing — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — decided
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. wind — moving air

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