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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · bowl · march · spell · face · toast · bank · chair

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. march — music
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. toast — bread
  7. bank — for money
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spell — letters
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spell — magic
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. face — part of the head

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