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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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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: fall · bass · hand · can · face · bank · wake · mine

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — help
  3. can — a tin
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. face — to confront
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wake — before a funeral

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