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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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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: saw · wind · roll · game · branch · face · hide · mine

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. roll — a list
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — to confront

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