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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
468
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: face · race · trunk · mouse · game · mine · net · bank

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. race — a contest
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — in sport
  13. bank — of a river
  14. race — the arms race
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bank — for money
  17. race — humankind
  18. face — to confront
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. net — for catching
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — after costs

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