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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — for money
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. bank — for money
  14. present — the time now
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — there
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — a gift

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