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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: bank · rush · wound · straw · band · suit · face · ground

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bank — for money
  4. ground — a position
  5. band — a ring
  6. bank — of a river
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. face — part of the head
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — for money
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. suit — clothes
  14. ground — crushed
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. band — a music group
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. suit — to fit

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