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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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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: cold · bowl · hand · cabinet · deal · face · bank · pound

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. face — to confront
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — help
  23. deal — an agreement
  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