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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: wind · date · face · bank · swing · cap · foot · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bank — for money
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cap — of ice
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cap — a hat
  11. foot — a measure
  12. face — to confront
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. date — the fruit
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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